


Dames Blanches

by Heartfiliadaydream, projectml



Series: Project: Bug-A-Boo [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-09-15 13:49:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9237764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heartfiliadaydream/pseuds/Heartfiliadaydream, https://archiveofourown.org/users/projectml/pseuds/projectml
Summary: There are stories told, passed from children to parent for generations to warn them about straying from the path or wandering too far from their homes. Stories of ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night. In the small towns of France, those surrounded by forests, parents will warn their children especially about the mysterious white women who lurk near caves, on bridges and down narrow paths; Les Dames Blanches.





	

Adrien Agreste was one such child who always followed his father’s rules about making sure to stay with his bodyguard after hearing stories of people coming across spirits and being asked to dance. He hadn’t understood why that was a bad thing until he heard what had happened to those who refused their offer. His father told him a particular story about a foolish man who said no to one of them and ended up being thrown into a set of nearby bramble bushes and attacked by crows. 

“Father, ghosts don’t exist, we can explain all of that with science! And even if they were, wouldn’t it be okay if I just said yes to the dance?” he asked his father after hearing the story, “then I would be fine and be able to come back to you!” 

His father gripped him by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. “ _Les Dames Blanches_ are very real and are more than just petty beings asking for a dance. They can bring bad luck and are often omens of death.” He warned, “You are better off never meeting one.” 

For years Adrien followed his father’s wishes. He always stayed with his bodyguard (whom he’d silently dubbed “the Gorilla”), and never went anywhere that was not lit or expressly designated as a safe path. It had become very boring and tedious in his opinion though. Every day was about the same; homeschooling with his tutors, some time out in the backyard, and if he was lucky a short trip out of his house and into town. 

One day, after a particularly boring and practically unnecessary history lesson, he decided he’d had enough of being treated like a child. He was 17, for god’s sake, and knew enough so that he could make it on his own without the constant supervision he was given. It was one of the days he’d been allowed into town, and while the Gorilla was distracted, he slipped away quickly into the crowd in an attempt to lose him. Looking back, he saw that his absence had gone unnoticed. Adrien deemed his escape a success.

Finally getting to experience it all on his own, he took everything in. Walking down streets he’d never seen, and daring to get close to the forest his father has expressly said not to, which he claimed held those spirits he was supposed to stay away from. Unfortunately for his father, Adrien had always been a very curious boy. “Curiosity killed the cat,” he would always say. 

 _Good thing cats have nine lives then_ , he thought as he stepped into the line of trees. 

Once he had, he felt a pull—like something, or rather someone, was calling out to him. Instead of being scared like he thought he was going to be, Adrien felt at ease and lighter than he could ever remember. 

His feet carried him down the path, following the feeling until he reached the opening of a cave. As far as he knew, there were no particularly deadly animals in these woods, but he approached the cave with caution nonetheless.

He heard a voice behind him suddenly, causing him to trip and fall. In his shock he missed what they had said, but scrambled to see who had spoken. 

He gasped when his gaze fell upon a woman more beautiful than any he had ever seen standing before him. No, standing was the wrong word to describe it. She was floating an inch above the ground and the edges of her person were not quite as definite as they should be. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” he asked. 

“No, you aren’t Felix, you just look like him,” she replied. Then, extending a hand to him she said, “dance with me.”

His mouth couldn’t seem to form words, so he simply nodded and took her hand, surprised by how tangible it was when she looked so incorporeal. 

She intertwined her hand with his, and placed her free one on his shoulder. Memory of his dancing lessons kicked in and he placed his free hand on her waist, which felt much more delicate than those of the girls he’d danced with. They immediately started to ballroom dance and he wondered what happened to those who didn’t know how when she wanted to dance with them. 

“Are you one of those ghosts? _Les Dames Blanches_?” he asked. 

She thought about her answer for a moment. “I suppose that’s one thing you could call me. I do have a name though. Not that anybody bothers to ask. They’re usually too afraid to speak or just scream, then rush off quickly after our dance is done. At that point it’s far too much effort to try and go after them. After all, they did dance with me.”

“So what is it? Your name that is.” Adrien inquired. 

The spirit smiled, showing perfectly straight teeth. “Marinette. What’s yours?”

“Adrien.”

“Well Adrien, it’s nice to meet you. You’re the first person I’ve spoken to in oh… fifty years? Give or take a few?”

His jaw dropped and he twirled her before asking, “Fifty years? Doesn’t it get lonely?” 

She chuckled. “Sometimes. People do come by from time to time, so I’m not so much lonely as I am starved for conversation.” 

“Well you seem like a perfectly lovely lady, I don’t know why people wouldn’t want to talk to you.” 

Marinette outright laughed at his statement, dipping back. “Most humans don’t see more than a sign of death when they see me. While that’s technically what I am, it doesn’t mean seeing me is immediately going to cause someone to die. Death is inevitable, and people don’t seem to understand that everyone is going to die eventually. It’s funny how selfish we can be.” 

“I’m sorry they feel that way. If you want, I can sit and chat for a while?”

She shook her head and the two of them bowed, finishing their dance. “I get the feeling that someone is out looking for you. Should you not return to them?” 

Adrien frowned and thought of his father. “I’m not supposed to be out on my own at all. My father is worried I’ll run into scary things in the woods. You in particular actually. Well not _you_ you, but, you know—”

“Ghosts?” Marinette offered. 

“Yeah. Ghosts, spirits, any number of non-human things.”

“You should not worry him further then.”

“I could come back if you like? We could dance some more, or just talk. Whatever you’d like that wouldn’t end up with me being mauled by a cat.” 

She frowned. “A cat? I would never!” _Cats are far too fickle to listen to a ghost_.

“Sorry it’s just… stories and stuff. You seem a lot nicer than I would have thought. But yes, I should probably go.”

Marinette leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, turning his face beet red. 

“W-what was that for?” he asked, completely flustered. 

“A bit of good luck. Just because I signify death, doesn’t mean I don’t have luck on my side. Consider it a gift for being the first person to talk to me.”

Adrien clumsily stepped back a few steps in the direction from which he came, brain still short-circuited. “Maybe I can come see you again. Bye!”

Marinette watched and waved as he stumbled off towards town. When he was out of sight, she sighed and wandered into the cave. She couldn’t get over how much Adrien looked like him. Like her Felix. 

Her thoughts started to wander, and she couldn’t help but entertain the the possibility that it _could_ be him. If she was able to stay on the mortal plane through grief alone, why couldn’t reincarnation be possible?

It could possibly explain why he wasn’t very scared of her. While it was true that she hadn’t spoken to anyone past the initial dance conversation, she left out the part where the last time 50 years ago when she held a conversation with someone was when she was still alive.

 

As Adrien had expected, his father was livid with him when he’d returned, but was also relieved to see that he was alright. The good luck Marinette had given him must have worked, as his father had not punished him, but rather realized that his son just wanted a little more freedom. 

Adrien decided that with this new found freedom, he would have to go and thank Marinette for helping him. Just as he was about to leave and return to her the following day, his father gave him another piece of good news.

 

Adrien rushed to the forest, when he reached the cave entrance but did not see her, he called out, “Marinette!”

“Yes, Adrien?” she replied from right behind him, scaring him once again.

“Jeez, you scared me half to death! But I have good news!”

“I take it that since you are here now, you aren’t in as much trouble as you once thought?”

He nodded. “My father was upset, but he realized I needed my space. That’s not even the best part! He’s taking me to Paris with him next week. He never lets me go with him!”

“That’s lovely, Adrien, I’m very happy for you.”

“I really wanted to come and thank you.” His cheeks turned pink before he continued, “I think your good luck kiss worked. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“I believe that from your tone it means a great deal. I am happy to help, though I’m sorry your father was not as easy going beforehand.”

Adrien sighed. “I know he did it out of love. He’s just never been the same since my mother died. It kind of broke him, you know?”

“The death of a loved one can have long lasting effects on people. Love is a very strong emotion.”

“Did you ever lose someone you loved?” 

Marinette frowned and her eyes filled with what Adrien could only describe as a deep sorrow before she spoke. “His name was Felix. He was my first love and my only love. You remind me a lot him, both in looks and personality.”

“Is it okay if I ask what happened?” he asked.

“No one really knew what it was at the time. One day he had what seemed like the typical common cold, but it escalated quickly into something more awful— something that they could not figure out in order to properly treat it. I suppose that’s why I couldn’t let go of him. He was there and then gone in a matter of weeks.”

“I’m sorry that you didn’t get more time with him.”

Marinette waved her hand in dismissal. “It’s all in the past now. I have to live in the now. Or, live as much as a dead person can. You know, lots of dancing to do, people to scare, typical ghost things.”

“Shall we dance then?” Adrien offered.

She was taken aback by his offer. Never in the years since her death had anyone asked her to dance. Or anything really. She accepted the hand he’d extended towards her, and the two of them danced until the moon was high in the sky. 

Every night for the five nights leading up to his trip to Paris, Adrien visited Marinette when he had a few free hours. They talked and danced more and throughout it all, Adrien and Marinette were thrilled to have someone to call “friend”.

 

The following week, when Adrien returned from Paris, he went to visit Marinette again.

“You’d never believe how big it is! And the Eiffel Tower? You can practically the whole city from the top of it. It was amazing Marinette.”

She thought back to a memory of her Felix wandering those exact streets. “I went to Paris once.”

“Really? Listen to me telling you all about it when you’ve already been there. Though I suppose it would have changed a lot since you last went.”

“The feeling would be the same I’m willing to bet.”

Adrien nodded in agreement. “Some call it the City of Love, and I definitely understand why. I think I may have found love myself.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “So soon?”

“She’s so beautiful. Long dark hair, the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen, the cutest freckles across her nose…” Adrien went on. With each description, Marinette was sure he was describing herself, and despite the fact he was alive and she was not, she felt her heart flutter at the thought he might have fallen in love with her.  

“She sounds like quite the woman.”

“Oh Marinette, Bridgette is such a wonderful woman, and she even lives in the same town. I can’t believe we met all the way in Paris of all places!”

She knew her mind was playing tricks on her. Though their time together had been short, she was sure that the soul he carried within him was that of her beloved Felix and a small part of her was sad that he had fallen for another, but she was mostly happy for her friend and her lovers soul having found someone. 

“I’m happy for you Adrien. Love is a wonderful feeling and one should cherish it.”

He took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. “It’s all thanks to you. That good luck has really turned my life around.”

She shook her head. “It may have helped, but all it served was to push you in the right direction. Everything past that was you.”

“Well either way, thank you for being my friend. With ghosts as kind as you, I don’t know why people are so scared.”

“Most ghosts are very bitter about their deaths and envy the living. That’s why they can be so harsh. On the other hand, I lived a fairly good life, and bitterness has never been in my nature, even in death.”

“What is it exactly that keeps you here then?”

“Well, they say that most souls who stay are left with unfinished business. Back when I was alive, most believed that _les Dames Blanches_ were always widows, so I always figured it was the grief in me that kept me in this world, even though I have long accepted the inevitability of death.”

“Just because you’ve accepted it doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

“For someone so sheltered and young, you sure have a way of acting like you’re much older. ‘Wise beyond your years’ as some would say.”

Adrien laughed. “That would be the first time anyone has ever said that. Most say I’m too immature.”

“They have obviously never experienced this side of you then.” 

He smiled at her and they fell into a comfortable silence and Adrien thought about how wonderfully his life had turned around.

 

For a few weeks, Adrien split his free time between visiting with Marinette and spending time with Bridgette, and he had never been happier. 

Until one day while he was in the forest with Marinette, unbeknownst to the pair, the Gorilla was watching and quickly headed back to tell Gabriel Agreste what his son had been doing with his ‘freedom’.

 

When Adrien arrived home after one of his outings, his father was standing on their front step. His footsteps slowed the closer he got to the house, the hard eyes and frown upon Gabriel’s face making him want to turn tail and run the other way, but he kept up his pace until he was standing a few feet from his father.

Gabriel said nothing and entered the house, Adrien knowing his father meant for him to follow, and he knew something was up. He followed him into their living room where the two sat opposite of each other, and Adrien waited for something to be said. 

After a few silent moments, Gabriel asked, “So I see you’ve been going out a lot on your own. Where is it you’re spending all this free time?”

“Um, with Bridgette?” Adrien replied, cringing when it came out sounding like he wasn’t sure rather than a firm statement of the truth. 

“Have you now? Funny you say that since she came looking for you earlier.”

Adrien was unsure how to respond. He hadn’t thought about the fact his father might ask where he’d been going and he had to come up with an answer quickly.

“Well not _all_ of my free time. I just went exploring today. In the town that is.”

“Don’t lie to me. She said she only spends some of the time with you and doesn’t know where you are the other half of the time. I know you were in the forest. I gave you the freedom you craved and you did the one thing I have explicitly told you not to do.”

Adrien stayed silent. Anything he said would only serve to make his father more angry, not that his silence was doing much better.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself? Especially about that, _thing_ you’ve been consorting with?”

“Thing? Marinette is not a thing.”

“So it has a name?”

Adrien stood from his seat, hands clenched. “Yes, _she_ does. She is nothing like you said they were going to be. She’s kind, and funny, and enjoys my company just like I enjoy hers.”

“She’s dead, Adrien! Don’t you understand that?” Gabriel shouted.

“Of course I know that! But she still has a soul, and she was once alive and human. Why should I treat her any different than a human just because her body has died?”

“She brings nothing but death to those who meet her.”

“That’s not always what happens! Nobody has died _because_ of her yet.”

“Except for your mother,” Gabriel said soberly.

All the tension from Adrien’s body loosened and he had to sit back down, feeling as though his legs were going to give out on him. Quietly he said, “There’s no way…”

Gabriel watched the crestfallen look take over his sons face, and sighed. “I once left on a trip and the path I needed to take was shorter if I cut through the forest. People had warned me not to look anywhere but where I was going in case I made eye contact with something I didn’t want to. Like you, I thought it wasn’t an issue, my eyes drawn to all sorts of beautiful, natural things as I watched the sunlight stream through the leaves of the trees.”

“Then I caught a glimpse of a white figure approaching from within the trees. She had dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Instead of waiting for her to find me, I drove faster and left her behind me. Car or no, ghosts don’t have a care.”

“I thought that was the end of that, but two weeks later she approached our yard, and I could see her from our bedroom window. Three days later your mother died.”

“That could just be a coincidence. Mum was sick for weeks before she died,” Adrien replied, not entirely believing his own words. 

“Why don’t you go ask her about it yourself? Clearly you were going to go back to her at some point anyway, there’s no use in my trying to stop you.”

Adrien nodded, knowing he would have done exactly that but at that moment all he wanted to do was lay down and process his father’s words. It was just simple happenstance that she showed up at that moment, and his mother was going to pass away either way… right?

 

The next day he had every intention of going to see Marinette, but Adrien wanted to stop by and see Bridgette first and apologize for not being around lately. When he arrived, her mother let him into her room where she was lying in bed. She explained that she’d woken up that morning feeling rather unwell.

“It’s nothing serious. Just a cold I think. Probably from being out too late the other night without a jacket,” she explained. 

So instead of going to see Marinette like he had planned, he stayed by Bridgette’s side to keep her company. For a few days, Adrien would wake and then go straight over to her house where he would help take care of her. Her condition did not seem to be worsening, but it was clear she was not getting any better either. He tried hard to keep up a brave face, but internally Adrien was have a hard time with the situation, which was far too close to what he’d remembered from when his own mother had fallen ill. He was still upset from what his father had told him on top of Bridgette being sick, and decided to wait a while until he was sure he could keep his emotions stable before going to see her.

Marinette had taken note of Adrien’s absence and was worried his father had found out where he’d be going and taken away his freedom. Adrien had explained to her about his father’s disdain for anything paranormal and how he would freak out if he found him sneaking away all the time to meet with her. She was reprimanding herself all the while for letting herself get attached to him like that. She should have sent all manners of animal after him to scare him away for good so he could live his life without her interference. 

He’d been absent five whole days when Marinette felt something pull her towards town. She tried to fight it, but previous experiences told her there was no way to stop it. Someone was close to dying. A week away at most. She wandered to the edge of the forest and felt the pull take her to a house that seemed familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. She was horrified to see Adrien sitting inside, looking more like Felix than ever. 

It wasn’t until she saw the figure lying in bed that she knew who was going to pass on. She was relieved it was not him, but from what she had heard him tell her, this was the Bridgette he loved. She had to admit that this girl was quite beautiful, reminding her very much of what her own sister looked like when they were little. 

Adrien looked up at that moment and did a double take when he thought he saw Marinette, but she quickly made herself scarce before he went over and checked.

 

That night, Adrien found Marinette in her usual place, but his usual cheerful demeanor was replaced with a tension between them. 

“Good evening, Adrien.”

Adrien frowned. “It really isn’t. You know why? Because I found out that the spirit I’ve been spending time with visited my house mere days before my mother died, and then showed up at my girlfriend’s house when she’s been bedridden for a week.”

Marinette’s only reply was, “your mother?”

“Yes. Five years ago, my dad said he saw you in our backyard.”

Her eyes widened.” Adrien, I didn’t know. Anytime someone feels as though they’re going to pass on, I get drawn to them. It’s one of the things that makes me what I am, I guess. I hadn’t even considered that I would have been at her deathbed.”

“So then what you’re saying… when I saw you today… Bridgette is going to die?” Adrien asked. When Marinette stayed silent and wouldn’t meet his eye, he crumbled to the ground.

“Adrien, I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “I can’t go through this again. Is there any way to stop it?”

“I’m afraid not, unless a miracle happens. You aren’t the first to find out and try to stop it. You should make the best of the remaining days you have with her.”

“I’m not strong enough. What if I turn out like my father.”

Marinette smiled and knelt down in front of him. “I don’t think you will. Just you saying that convinces me of that fact. Go. Be with Bridgette and make sure you’re there for her when she’s at the end. It will make it easier on the both of you.”

Adrien nodded. “Thank you Marinette. I thought I was angry at you for being the cause of it, but I know better. You’re not the reason she’s dying. But at least now I know, even if it won’t make it any easier.” 

Marinette tried to console him for a little while, but knew anything she said was not going to dull the pain he felt in his heart. After all, she knew better than anyone the heartbreak of losing a loved one. 

Three days later, Bridgette went down for a nap and never woke up. The funeral was held on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and Adrien waited by the grave until Marinette showed up, long after the rest of Bridgette’s family had gone.

“You should have heard my father when he found out,” Adrien said, eyes never leaving the gravestone. “Went off about how ‘those no good ghosts will take everyone you love.’ It’s not anyone’s fault, mom would have died either way.”

“If he blames me, that’s alright. Sometimes having an outlet helps the grieving process,” she said. Looking down, Marinette let out a laugh. When Adrien gave her a funny look, she pointed to the gravestone. “Her last name, it’s the last name of the man my sister married. I thought she looked a little like my sister and now I know why.”

Adrien laughed too. “Guess I’m just drawn to your whole family then. So what would that make Bridgette to you?”

Marinette thought about it. “She came from my sister’s family so given the number of years… she’d have probably been my grandniece.”

“Grandniece?” Adrien gaped. “You mean you’d still be alive if you hadn’t died when you did?”

“Everyone would be alive if they’d not died when they did,” Marinette said with a smirk.

“You know what I mean. I met her grandmother, who I’m assuming is your sister. Wait—how many years ago _did_ you die then?”

“Remember when I said you were the first person I’d talked to in fifty years? Though it was true, I neglected to mention you were the first person to _actually_ talk to me since I died.”

“Oh my god, wow. So would it be safe to say you’d only be what, eighty?”

“Eighty? Excuse you, I would only be seventy-four!”

“Well may I just say that you look pretty good for someone your age,” Adrien joked. His smile fell when he remembered why they were talking about that in the first place. “So does the family know you’re… _around_?”

“No, they don’t. They were all very upset after I died and I didn’t want them to think I hadn’t passed on peacefully. Not that my death was in any way peaceful.”

“How did you die?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Kind of a touchy subject, don’t you think?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay. Better you ask me than my sister. Long story short, I died fifty years ago. Right in the middle of World War Two. Lots of people died, and I feel lucky that I was the only casualty in the family.” When Adrien didn’t respond right away, she spoke again. “We should go. You should go be with family and I should return to the forest.”

“I’ll come see you when I start to feel better. I know I really didn’t know her that long, but I really did love her.”

“Can I tell you something?” Marinette asked. 

Adrien nodded.

“Something inside me makes me feel almost sure that you were once Felix. Your soul at least. You have the same light in your eyes and the same fire in your heart, and I know that you love with all of your being, so I know. I know that you really did love her, I believe she knew that and loved you too. I know I never met her, but something about the way she looked at you when I saw her in the bed that day told me that you two had what some people can only wish for.”

“That all being said, take your time to grieve, but when you’re done, leave your heart open to love again. Souls like yours deserve to be happy, and you can’t let grief consume you and never let you love again. Who knows, maybe if my grief hadn’t kept me here, I would have been reincarnated as Felix was and our souls could have found each other once more.” 

When Marinette was finished, Adrien felt fresh tears roll down his face, and in that moment he was unsure if it was him or Felix that was causing it. Something about what she said made sense and he could feel a warmth in his chest.

“I’ll be seeing you Adrien.”

Adrien waved and replied, “See you soon Marinette,” before she faded into the forest. The whole way home Adrien thought about her words and about her family, not knowing that she was lonely in that forest.

 

A few days later, he returned to Bridgette’s home and her family. They welcomed him with open arms, knowing he was hurting too. He sat next to Marinette’s sister and looked around at the family photos until his eyes landed upon a picture he had seen in passing but had always assumed was Bridgette and some cousin who looked like her. Now however, he was sure it was Marinette and Bridgette’s grandmother.

“Excuse me, Madeleine? I’m sorry if this is insensitive, but I always thought that this was a picture of Bridgette, but now that I’m looking at it, it’s not quite her. I was wondering if you could tell me who’s in this photo?”

Madeleine smiled fondly at it. “That was a picture of my sister and I. I believe I was eighteen and she was around twenty. It was a few years before she died.”

“Wow. Marinette was still very pretty…” Adrien murmured.

Madeleine narrowed her eyes at Adrien. “How did you know what her name was?” she asked.

He swore under his breath then apologized. “Um, I think Bridgette may have mentioned your sister’s name at some point.”

“Adrien. I’m old but I’m not daft. What do you know?”

He sighed. “Well, long story short, I’ve actually… met her?” When she continued to stare at him, Adrien explained the situation, including the part about her not wanting the family to know she was still around. “She mentioned that she thinks its because of her grief for Felix.”

At that, Madeleine laughed. “Of course she does. They were so stupidly in love, the pair of them. You do look an awful lot like him if memory serves correct. I think I may have a picture of him somewhere…” 

She rummaged around and found an old photo album, opening it to a picture of the two of them. Adrien honestly thought he was looking at a photo of himself.

“Wow, yeah the resemblance is there.”

“Adrien, will you take me to see her? I know you said she didn’t want us knowing, but we never got a proper goodbye. After all that’s happened this week, seeing my sister again would mean the world to me.”

He couldn’t say no to this woman, who had been so kind to him and who was grieving herself, so the two of them went into the forest that evening to find Marinette.

When they got there, Marinette came out to greet Adrien, but her whole form seemed to almost dissipate at the sight of her sister. 

“Adrien! Why did you bring her here?”

“Don’t blame him, Mari, I asked him to. Me finding out was an accident, but I needed to see you once I knew.” Madeleine said, stepping forward. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Mariette floated closer until she was inches from her sister. “You’ve gotten old.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped and Madeleine just laughed. “Always the jokester. Even in death you can’t be nice to me. Don’t forget, you’d be even older if you were still alive.”

“I haven’t forgotten. Old habits die hard, I suppose. It is so nice to see you. I thought about coming after it happened but it was so fresh, and the whole thing wasn’t pleasant.”

The smile Madeleine had stayed on her face, but tears slipped down her cheeks nonetheless. “Mother, father and I were so worried that… that you’d suffered. When the house collapsed we tried to dig you out but…”

Marinette shushed her sister who had begun to cry harder. “I didn’t. One moment the sirens were going off and we were trying to get out and I felt the shocks of the bomb, the darkness of the house coming down… but the next moment I was out here, in the forest. It was quick, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Thank goodness. We weren’t able to stay and give you a proper funeral until after the war, but we thought of you every day. I’m sorry you have to be like this now.”

“It hasn’t been so bad. Time passes quickly for the undead,” Marinette said with a laugh. “And Adrien here has been very good company this last little while. So please don’t worry about me.”

“I’m going to come back and visit you, you know that right?” Madeleine told her sister.

“I don’t think I could convince you otherwise.” Turning to Adrien she said,

“Thank you. I know I told you I didn’t want this, but now that she’s here, I’m so glad to see my sister again. Come back and visit with her sometimes, alright?”

“Of course. But it’s getting late and we didn’t exactly tell anyone that we were coming, so before I get in trouble with your niece, we should probably be heading back.”

Both sisters nodded and Marinette hugged her sister. “I’ll see you soon, alright?”

“See you soon Marinette. God it feels good to say that.”

They smiled, and Marinette waved while Adrien and Madeleine went back into town. When they reached the house, she turned to look at him before going inside. 

“Thank you Adrien. That meant so much to me. Even though you and Bridgette were never married, and even if you find someone new to love in the future, you will always be a part of our family, alright?”

Adrien smiled and stopped to hug Marinette. “That means so much more to me than you could know. I’ll come visit as often as I can.”

“Goodnight, Adrien.”

“Goodnight, Marinette,” he replied before heading home. 

Despite all the stories his father had told him about how ruthless and awful _les Dames Blanches_ were, he had found that nothing but good things had come from meeting one of them, and he wouldn’t change his meeting of Marinette for anything in the world.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This work was produced as part of a Project Miraculous Ladybug effort. In addition, we would like to thank the following beta readers for making the fic possible: @Megatraven


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